The Secret History by Donna Tartt Review

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS BELOW

“I suppose at one time in my life I might have had any number of stories, but now there is no other. This is the only story I will ever be able to tell.”- The Secret History, Donna Tartt

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last - inexorably - into evil.

Yes, I'm aware that this book was published in the 90s and I don't usually write full reviews for books not published in the 21st century because, well, I don't see how my thoughts about Bukowski's Ham and Rye (but you can look forward to that in my wrap-up) or Capote's Answered Prayers would really bring anything new to the table. But with this book I feel compelled to write a full review.

I thought I would hate this book. And I'm sure if you saw my tastes in books you'd probably think the same thing. It's long, kinda pretension, and there is a laundry list of flaws with the characters- they're cold, selfish, unfeeling, and cannot deal with reality. 

And yet I loved every goddamn page of this book. 

The writing is Fitzgerald-esque. The characters, with their suits and cigarettes and problems with hard liquor are old-fashioned in a way that endears me. In fact, the book feels like it should take place in the Edwardian times or the Roaring Twenties instead of the late 80s early 90s, and for once I was not annoyed by the fact that the book doesn't seem to know when it wants to take place. Instead, I liked it- the strange old-fashionedness of the twins, Francis, Henry, and to a lesser extent Bunny only served to set them apart from all the other characters, show how different they are from Judy and Cloke.

The biggest sign as to how much I liked this novel is that I was not once bored by it. I mean, when it's a 500+ page novel and the murder happens with 300 pages of story left to get to, this basically means that The Secret History will go down as one of my favorite books ever. The last time a long book managed to capture my attention until the end, it was A Gentleman in Moscow which I read last September. I understand that some people were extremely bored in the second half, but I was loving it. I was intrigued by all the characters and I didn't really want it to end. I didn't want to get out of the world that these characters inhabited. 400 pages into it, I was still laughing and grinning when something was reveled and swooning at Tartt's writing and overall just completely and utterly enjoying myself.

Seriously, I don't think I've enjoyed reading a book quite this much since, well, Marina back in March. I mean, sure, I've loved books since then, like Graffiti Moon or Norwegian Wood, but this was different. I think I actually fell in love with this book. I have this kind of annoying and very girlish habit of putting my hand above my heart when I love something (or when I'm surprised- I swear sometimes I'm one fainting couch away from being a Victorian lady) and that hand was almost permanently attached to my chest the entire time I was reading this book.

Do I have a favorite character? How can I choose between the twins, Francis, Bunny, or even Richard- who's a Nick Caraway narrator if there ever was one. By the end of the novel, even cokehead Judy had a special place in my heart.

The only thing I didn't really like about the book was the ending, but other than that, I adored the book. This is not the kind of book I'd freely recommend out, since, like in the case of Cara Hoffman's Running, it's meant for a very specific audience. I don't have any particular desire to read The Goldfinch now, but The Secret History will likely become one of my favorite books ever.

9-9.5 out of 10